Watch My Back
by Dragoncl
Summary: Of course she would find him here. She had a knack for knowing when he was brooding too much. It’s a vice-captain’s job to watch their captain’s back after all. DDR drabble


You didn't expect me to _not_ write something about Diamond Dust Rebellion did you? Haha! I actually have been working on this for a while and must have rewritten it a thousand times before I got this. It's just a cute little captain/vice-captain drabble that is one of millions that popped into my head while watching DDR. It can be Hitsu/matsu if you squint but its mostly friendship. Hitsugaya and Matsumoto are kind of OOC, but they just ended up that way, no matter how hard I tried.

I'm debating whether or not to type up my other drabbles and post them with this or make them seperate fics. Oh! Guardian's Guardian is coming along too. Yeah!

Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo.

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**Got Your Back**

The sun was just beginning to set, lighting the sky with fiery oranges and reds. The trees in the small garden cast long shadows across the grass and onto the wooden veranda. A light breeze twisted in through the open door, gently playing with the scattered papers on the desk.

Hitsugaya sighed and leaned against the doorframe, looking out at the hidden garden. It was so quiet and peaceful, you would never had thought that the entirety of Seireitei had just fought off a deranged, reincarnated maniac bent on revenge a little less than a day ago. A wry smile pulled at the boy's lips. Of course he was given the perfect setting for working when he had absolutely no intention of doing any kind of work. His mind, body, and soul were just too drained to find the motivation to start the dull reports, which seemed to multiply every time he turned his head.

No. There was no way he was going to get anything done tonight. Such was the irony of the universe.

The white-haired boy watched as the glowing disk slowly sunk beneath Seireitei's marble walls, content to focus on the natural beauty of the evening than deal with the thoughts racing through his mind. No matter how hard he tried to block the unpleasant memories his mind prodded at his consciousness, demanding his attention.

He could smell the damp mold of the cave and hear Kusaka's triumphant shout as he held Hyourinmaru above his head. He could still feel the cold make the hair on his arms stand on end.

He could remember the resounding din of voices as the Chamber members ordered him to fight his best friend to the death. His eyes still burned as they tried to focus on the quickly changing scenery. His arms burned with adrenaline as he blocked Kusaka's wild strike.

He could smell the smoke and burning wood and hear the cries of the procession his division was supposed to have been protecting. He could feel the dread fil his stomach as he realized his best friend was in fact alive and had caused the destruction around them. He could see Matsumoto's eyes widen as hers locked with his own and he silently pleaded for her to forgive him.

He could feel the wounds in his side and shoulder that were burning with infection. He could see the confused and hurt expression of Gotei 13 as he fought them. He could hear Hyourinmaru's roar reverberate in his ears as the dragon sprung to life to protect and fulfill its master's bidding.

He could feel Kusaka's warm breath against his ear as the man gave his final taunt. He could feel Hyourinmaru slice through skin and tissue and warm blood run down his hands as he killed his best friend for the second time.

A cool and familiar presence prodded at his mind and he let the dragon past his mind's defenses. The beast gently comforted its wielder through their connection, blocking the hurtful images the boy's mind conjured. Hitsugaya subconsciously leaned closer to his desk where Hyourinmaru was propped, silently thanking the dragon.

**It is not wise to dwell on the past, for you will lose sight of the present and eventually the future. What is done is done. There is nothing you can do to right the wrongs that befell Kusaka. You only hurt yourself by dwelling on painful memories. Regret only weighs you down and keeps you from your rightful place in the sky. **The dragon coiled and watched the boy from his mind with bright and intelligent eyes. **You should rest. You have been through much, both physically and mentally.** **I will make sure nothing disturbs your dreams tonight.** Hitsugaya sent a wave of compassion and gratefulness through their mental link. The magnificent beast hummed in response and left his mind.

"You should be sleeping." A wry smile pulled at the boy's lips. Of course _she_ would find him here. She had a knack for knowing when he was brooding too much. Whether she helped improve his mood or not he had yet to decide. It never seemed to be consistent.

"If I recall, I am the captain of this division Matsumoto- _fukutaichou_." He could almost picture her frowning at the use of her title. It had been years since he had last used it and he was sure she was aware of that fact.

"I'm sorry Taichou. I've gotten used to the division missing a captain the past few days." It seemed today would be one of the days when his mood only soured around her presence. He frowned at the jibe. She hadn't said it with any kind of angry or accusing tone, but it hurt all the same. The last thing he had wanted to do was to hurt the energetic woman. He stiffened as he heard her graceful footsteps on the hardwood floors.

"Are you going to yell at me too Matsumoto?" The footsteps stopped and the boy bit his tongue, berating himself for the aggressive remark.

"Taichou?" The concern was heavy in her voice and he forced himself to not turn around and face her. He had already seen enough betrayal in her eyes to last him a decade or two. The stab wound on his stomach burned as he held his position by the doorframe. The silence stretched as the vice-captain contemplated his question. "No." Hitsugaya felt the muscles in his chest ease at her answer. "I don't think you did anything wrong Taichou."

He grunted and turned to look at the strawberry-blond for the first time since the battle ended. A white eyebrow quirked and teal eyes were hard as they met hers. "If you're going to lie Matsumoto, I suggest you do better than that." The vice-captain sighed and closed her eyes, chuckling dryly.

"That would be better wouldn't it? I don't think I'll ever be able to keep anything from you Taichou." Sincerity shone in her grey eyes as she looked back up and the prodigy was forced to focus on her forehead instead of her eyes for fear of losing what little self-control he still possessed. "Why didn't you tell me or give me a sign or... or anything other than just that look!" Frustration appeared on her features and she crossed her arms over her large chest in irritation.

Hitsugaya couldn't help the smirk that pulled at his lips. Of all the things she could have been about, she chose that. "You left me without telling me anything. You did something on top of that building and just left. Then the general is talking about how you betrayed us and I didn't know what to think anymore. I started to think about how you and Gin had both left me without any explanation and just expect me to carry on like nothing happened." Hitsugaya scowled as he was compared with the silver-haired traitor. He would be alright with anyone else, even Aizen, just not that man who had gone out of his way to make his life a jumbled mess. "I'm sick of being left behind!"She uncrossed her arms and clenched her fists in anger by her side. "Don't you ever do that to me again! You and Gin are just the same! You both leave without saying a word! I hate it! I hate you!"

Her arm flew out and slashed across his cheek. His teal eyes watched its arc and he tensed for the blow. His head snapped sideways and he stumbled to the side before regaining his footing. His side screamed as he moved suddenly and he frowned. Matsumoto gasped and he heard her hands fly to her mouth. "T...taichou! I'm sorry! I don't know..."

Hitsugaya straightened and faced her, face devoid of emotion. "Matsumoto!" The woman stopped her apologies and looked at him. Sighing in frustration and exhaustion, the boy leaned against the doorframe again. "You have a better punch than Kurosaki." He gently touched the skin on his cheek. Great. Now he had a bruise to match the one on the other side of his face.

The strawberry-blond blinked and than chuckled, wiping away stray tears from her eyes. "Taichou?" Her soft voice brought him out of his reverie. He glance up at her and questioningly frowned. "There is one thing you did wrong." His eyebrow shot up and he waited for her to finish her thought. "You didn't trust anyone else and tried to do it all alone. We could have helped you. It's a vice-captain's job to watch their captain's back after all." A smile pulled at lips and she put her hands on her hips. "And no one is getting to my captain if I have anything to say about it. That also means making sure my captain doesn't kill himself by overworking himself."

The prodigy blinked owlishly and shook his head and a rare smile graced his lips. "Idiot." Matsumoto just chuckled. The boy walked over to his desk and opened one the drawers. "Let's go Matsumoto. There's one more thing I have to do." The broken Hyourinmaru shone in the dying light. Matsumoto smiled knowingly and nodded.

"Of course Taichou."


End file.
